How animals and plants are evolving in cities | Menno Schilthuizen

Transcriber: Ivana Korom Reviewer: Krystian Aparta

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

This is where I grew up.

這是我長大的地方。

A small village near the city of Rotterdam

鹿特丹市附近的小村子，

in the Netherlands.

位在荷蘭。

In the 1970s and 1980s, when I was a teenager,

七零和八零年代，我還是青少年時，

this area was still a quiet place.

這個區域還十分安靜。

It was full of farms and fields and swampland,

滿滿都是農場、田野、沼澤地，

and I spent my free time there, enjoying myself,

我有空就會去那裡， 自己玩得很愉快，

painting oil paintings like this one,

畫像這樣的油畫、

collecting wildflowers, bird-watching

採集野花、賞鳥、

and also collecting insects.

還捕集昆蟲。

And this was one of my prized finds.

這是我最有價值的發現之一。

This is a very special beetle,

這是一隻非常特別的甲蟲，

an amazing beetle called an ant beetle.

這種不可思議的甲蟲叫做螞蟻甲蟲。

And this is a kind of beetle that lives its entire life

這種甲蟲一生

都住在螞蟻的巢穴中。

inside an ant's nest.

It has evolved to speak ant.

牠演化成會說螞蟻語。

It's using the same chemical signals,

牠會使用和螞蟻同樣的化學訊號

the same smells as the ants do, for communicating,

及味道來溝通，

and right now, this beetle is telling this worker ant,

此時，這隻甲蟲在告訴這隻工蟻：

"Hey, I'm also a worker ant,

「嘿，我也是工蟻，

I'm hungry, please feed me."

我餓了，請給我食物。」

And the ant complies,

螞蟻也照做了，

because the beetle is using the same chemicals.

因為這隻甲蟲使用同樣的化學物質。

Over these millions of years,

在這數百萬年間，

this beetle has evolved a way to live inside an ant society.

這種甲蟲演化出一種 能住在螞蟻社會中的方式。

Over the years,

我住在那個村子裡的那些年，

when I was living in that village,

我捕集了兩萬種不同的甲蟲，

I collected 20,000 different beetles,

and I built a collection of pinned beetles.

我把甲蟲釘起來，做成一系列收藏。

And this got me interested, at a very early age, in evolution.

這讓我在非常小的時候 就對演化感到興趣。

How do all those different forms, how does all this diversity come about?

各種形式，這麼驚人的 多樣性是怎麼來的？

So I became an evolutionary biologist,

所以我成為了演化生物學家，

like Charles Darwin.

和查爾斯·達爾文一樣。

And like Charles Darwin, I also soon became frustrated

也和查爾斯·達爾文一樣， 我很快就感到挫折，

by the fact that evolution is something that happened mostly in the past.

因為演化大部分發生在過去。

We study the patterns that we see today,

我們研究現今所見的模式，

trying to understand the evolution that took place in the past,

試圖了解過去所發生的演化，

but we can never actually see it taking place in real time.

但我們永遠無法看到 即時的演化發生。

We cannot observe it.

我們無法觀察演化。

As Darwin himself already said,

達爾文自己已經說過：

"We see nothing of these slow changes in progress,

「我們看不見這些緩慢的變化過程，

until the hand of time has marked the lapse of ages."

直到非常長的時間過後。｣

Or do we?

或者其實我們看得見？

Over the past few decades,

在過去數十年間，

evolutionary biologists have come to realize that sometimes,

演化生物學家漸漸了解到，有時，

evolution proceeds much faster and it can actually be observed,

演化進行的速度快到

可以被觀察到，

especially when the environment changes drastically

特別是當環境劇烈改變時，

and the need to adapt is great.

有很大的適應需求。

And of course, these days,

當然，如今，

great environmental changes are usually caused by us.

很大的環境改變通常是人類造成的。

We mow, we irrigate, we plow, we build,

我們刈草、灌溉、犁地、建造、

we pump greenhouse gases into the atmosphere

我們將溫室氣體排放到大氣中，

that change the climate.

改變了氣候。

We release exotic plants and animals

我們將外來植物和動物放到

in places where they didn't live before,

它們以前沒有待過的地方，

and we harvest fish and trees and game for our food and other needs.

我們為了飽食以及其他需求

去捕魚、去砍樹、去狩獵。

And all these environmental changes reach their epicenter in cities.

在城市中的環境改變最顯著。

Cities form a completely new habitat that we have created.

城市形成了全新的棲息地， 都是由我們所創造。

And we clothe it in brick and concrete and glass and steel,

我們用磚塊、混凝土、玻璃、 鋼鐵將它們覆蓋起來，

which are impervious surfaces

這些都是無法滲透的表面，

that plants can only root in with the greatest difficulty.

植物極難紮根。

Also in cities, we find the greatest concentrations

此外，城市裡有 最高濃度的化學物質污染、

of chemical pollution,

of artificial light and noise.

最嚴重的人工光害以及噪音。

And we find wild mixtures of plants and animals

我們發現來自世界各地的 植物及動物在城市裡狂野混雜，

from all over the world that live in the city,

because they have escaped from the gardening

因為它們逃離了花園、

and aquarium and pet trade.

水族館、寵物貿易。

And what does a species do

當某個物種生活的環境

when it lives in a completely changed environment?

完全改變了，會如何？

Well, many, of course, go, sadly, extinct.

當然，不幸的是， 許多物種會因此絕種。

But the ones that don't go extinct,

但沒有絕種的那些物種

they adapt in spectacular ways.

會以很驚人的方式適應。

Biologists these days are beginning to realize

現今的生物學家開始了解到

that cities are today's pressure cookers of evolution.

城市是現代的演化壓力鍋。

These are places where wild animals and plants

在這些地方，野生動物和植物

are evolving under our eyes very rapidly

會在我們眼前以非常快的速度演化，

to suit these new, urban conditions.

以配合新的都市條件。

Exactly like the ant beetle did millions of years ago,

這就和數百萬年前 螞蟻甲蟲所做的一樣，

when it moved inside an ant colony.

搬入到螞蟻聚居地去。

We now find animals and plants that have moved inside the human colony

現在，我們發現動物和植物 搬入了人類聚居地，

and are adapting to our cities.

且開始適應我們的城市。

And in doing so,

從這當中，我們也開始了解，

we're also beginning to realize

that evolution can actually proceed very fast.

演化其實可以進行得非常快速。

It does not always take the long lapse of ages;

不見得要經過很久的時間；

it can happen under our very eyes.

有可能就在我們眼前發生。

This, for example, is the white-footed mouse.

比如，這是白腳老鼠。

This is a native mammal from the area around New York,

是來自紐約地區的原生哺乳類動物，

and more than 400 years ago, before the city was built,

在四百多年前，尚未建造城市時，

this mouse lived everywhere.

這種老鼠無所不在。

But these days, they are stuck in little islands of green,

但現今，牠們被困在 小小的綠色島嶼上，

the city's parks, surrounded by a sea of tarmac and traffic.

也就是城市裡的公園， 被大片的柏油與街道所環繞。

A bit like a modern-day version of Darwin's finches on the Galapagos.

有點像是在加拉巴哥各個鄰近的小島上

分別演化的達爾文雀的現代版。

And like Darwin's finches,

也像達爾文雀，

the mice in each separate park have started evolving,

在每個獨立公園中的老鼠 都已經開始分別演化，

have started to become different from each other.

開始變得和彼此不同。

And this is my colleague, Jason Munshi-South,

這是我在福坦莫大學的同事 傑森·蒙西少斯，

from Fordham University,

who is studying this process.

他在研究這個過程。

He is studying the DNA of the white-footed mice

他研究紐約市各個公園中的

in New York City's parks,

白腳老鼠的 DNA，

and trying to understand how they are beginning to evolve

並試圖了解牠們如何

在那些像群島的公園中分開演化。

in that archipelago of islands.

And he's using a kind of DNA fingerprinting, and he says,

他使用某種 DNA 指紋分析，

"If somebody gives me a mouse,

他說：「如果給我一隻老鼠，

doesn't tell me where it's from,

不要告訴我牠來自何處， 光是去看牠的 DNA，

just by looking at its DNA,

I can tell exactly from which park it comes."

我就能準確辨識出 牠來自哪一個公園。」

That's how different they have become.

牠們的差異現在就有這麼大。

And Jason has also discovered that those changes,

傑森也發現，

那些改變，那些演化改變，

these evolutionary changes,

are not random, they mean something.

並不是隨機的，是有意義的。

For example, in Central Park,

比如，在中央公園，

we find that the mice have evolved genes

我們發現老鼠演化出一種基因，

that allow them to deal with very fatty food.

讓牠們可以消化非常油膩的食物。

Human food.

人類的食物。

Twenty-five million people visit Central Park each year.

每年有兩千五百萬人造訪中央公園。

It's the most heavily visited park in North America.

是北美最多人參觀的公園。

And those people leave behind snack food

那些人會留下零嘴、

and peanuts and junk food,

花生、垃圾食物，

and the mice have started feeding on that,

老鼠就開始吃那些東西，

and it's a completely different diet than what they're used to,

和牠們過去習慣的飲食截然不同，

這些年來，牠們已經演化到能適應

and over the years,

they have evolved to suit this very fatty, very human diet.

非常油膩、非常人類的飲食。

And this is another city slicker animal.

這是另一種時髦的城市動物。

This is the European garden snail.

這是歐洲庭園蝸牛， 非常常見的蝸牛，

A very common snail,

有各種顏色變化，

it comes in all kinds of color variations,

ranging from pale yellow to dark brown.

從淡黃色到深褐色都有。

And those colors are completely determined

那些顏色完全是由 蝸牛的 DNA 來決定。

by the snail's DNA.

And those colors also determine the heat management of the snail

那些顏色也決定了

住在殼內的蝸牛對高溫的調節方式。

that lives inside that shell.

For example, a snail that sits in the sunlight,

比如，當蝸牛處在非常強的日光下，

in the bright sun,

if it has a pale yellow shell,

如果牠的殼是淡黃色，就不會

it doesn't heat up as much as a snail that sits inside a dark brown shell.

像深褐色殼中的蝸牛增溫那麼多。

Just like when you're sitting in a white car, you stay cooler

就像你坐在白色汽車中

會比較坐在黑色汽車中更涼爽。

than when you're sitting inside a black car.

Now there is a phenomenon called the urban heat islands,

有一種現象叫做都市熱島，

which means that in the center of a big city,

意思就是，在大城市的中心，

the temperature can be several degrees higher

溫度可能會比大城市外 還要高上幾度。

than outside of the big city.

That has to do with the fact

原因是因為有數百萬人 集中在城市裡，

that you have these concentrations of millions of people,

and all their activities and their machineries,

還有他們的各種活動 和他們的機器，都會產生熱。

they generate heat.

Also, the wind is blocked by the tall buildings,

此外，風也會被高聳的建築阻擋，

and all the steel and brick and concrete absorb the solar heat

各種鋼鐵、磗塊、

混凝土都會吸收太陽熱， 在晚上時釋放出來。

and they radiate it out at night.

So you get this bubble of hot air in the center of a big city,

所以一大團熱空氣 會包在大城市的中心。

and my students and I figured that maybe those garden snails,

我學生和我認為

也許那些有各種不同背殼的庭園蝸牛

with their variable shells,

are adapting to the urban heat islands.

是在適應都市熱島。

Maybe in the center of a city,

也許，在城市中心，

we find that the shell color is evolving

我們會發現蝸牛殼顏色朝著

in a direction to reduce overheating of the snails.

避免讓蝸牛過度受熱的方向演化。

And to study this, we started a citizen-science project.

為了研究這個現象， 我們展開了一個公民科學計畫。

We built a free smartphone app,

我們開發了一個免費的手機程式，

which allowed people all over the Netherlands

讓荷蘭各地的使用者

to take pictures of snails in their garden, in their street,

可以拍攝他們花園裡、 街上，以及鄉間的蝸牛，

also in the countryside,

and upload them to a citizen science web platform.

再將這些照片上傳到 一個公民科學網平台上。

And over a year, we got 10,000 pictures

一年多來，我們得到了一萬張

在荷蘭拍攝的蝸牛照片，

of snails that had been photographed in the Netherlands,

當我們開始分析這些結果，

and when we started analyzing the results,

we found that indeed, our suspicions were confirmed.

我們發現，的確， 我們的假設得到了確認。

In the center of the urban heat islands,

在都市熱島的中心，

we find that the snails have evolved more yellow, more lighter-colored shells.

我們發現蝸牛演化出

比較黃、比較淡色的殼。

Now the city snail and the Manhattan mouse

城市蝸牛和曼哈頓老鼠 只是兩個例子，

are just two examples of a growing list of animals and plants

還有越來越多的動物和植物

that have evolved to suit this new habitat,

演化以適應新的棲息地，

this city habitat that we have created.

我們創造出的城市棲息地。

And in a book that I've written about this subject,

我針對都市演化 這個主題寫了一本書，

the subject of urban evolution,

I give many more examples.

書中有更多例子。

For example, weeds that have evolved seeds

比如，野草已經演化出

that are better at germinating on the pavement.

更能在人行道上發芽的種子。

Grasshoppers that have evolved a song

住在接近吵鬧交通地區的蚱蜢

that has a higher pitch when they live close to noisy traffic.

也已經演化出音調更高的鳴叫。

Mosquitoes that have evolved to feed on the blood of human commuters

蚊子演化成在地鐵站內

以人類通勤者的血液為食。

inside metro stations.

And even the common city pigeon

就連常見的城市鴿子，

that has evolved ways to detox themselves

也演化出重金屬污染的解毒方式，

from heavy-metal pollution by putting it in their feathers.

將之導入羽毛中。

Biologists like myself, all over the world,

全世界像我這樣的生物學家

are becoming interested in this fascinating process

開始對於都市演化 這個迷人過程感到興趣。

of urban evolution.

We are realizing that we're really at a unique event

我們了解到，我們目前身處於

地球生命歷史上 一個獨一無二的事件中。

in the history of life on earth.

A completely new ecosystem

一個全新的生態系統，

that is evolving and adapting to a habitat that we have created.

演化並適應了我們 創造出來的棲息地。

And not just academics --

不只是學術圈——

we're also beginning to enlist the millions of pairs of hands

我們也開始招募城市中的

數百萬雙手、耳朵、眼睛。

and ears and eyes that are present in the city.

Citizen scientists, schoolchildren --

公民科學家、學童——

together with them,

我們攜手合作建造全球的觀察網路，

we are building a global observation network

which allows us to watch this process of urban evolution taking place

讓我們可以即時觀看

這個都市演化的過程發生。

in real time.

And at the same time, this also makes it clear to people

同時，這也能讓大家清楚知道，

that evolution is not just some abstract thing

演化不是要跑到加拉巴哥群島

that you need to travel to the Galapagos to study,

才能研究的抽象主題，

or that you need to be a paleontologist to understand what it is.

你也不需要成為古生物學者 才能了解演化。

It's a very ordinary biological process

它是個非常平凡的生物過程，

that's taking place all the time, everywhere.

時時刻刻在各處發生。

In your backyard, in the street where you live,

在你的後院，在你住的那條街上，

right outside of this theater.

就在這間劇院外面。

But there is, of course, a flip side to my enthusiasm.

但，當然，我的熱情也有另一面。

When I go back to the village where I grew up,

當我回到我長大的村子時，

I no longer find those fields and swamps that I knew from my youth.

我找不到我年輕時 認識的那些田野和沼澤了。

The village has now been absorbed

這個村子現在被鹿特丹 不斷成長的企業集團給吸收，

by the growing conglomeration of Rotterdam,

and instead, I find shopping malls

我找到的是購物中心、

and I find suburbs and bus lanes.

郊區和公車專用道。

And many of the animals and plants that I was so accustomed to

我以前熟知的動物和植物消失了，

have disappeared, including perhaps that ant beetle.

可能也包括螞蟻甲蟲。

But I take comfort in the fact that the children growing up

但讓我欣慰的是，

現今在那個村子裡長大的孩子

in that village today

may no longer be experiencing that traditional nature

可能無法體驗到

陪我長大的傳統大自然，

that I grew up with,

but they're surrounded by a new type of nature,

但他們的周圍全是新型的大自然， 新型的生態系統，

a new type of ecosystem,

that, to them, might be just as exciting as the old type was to me.

他們可能也會感到興奮， 正如我為當年的大自然興奮那樣。

They are living in a new, modern-day Galapagos.

如今他們住在現代的加拉巴哥群島。

And by teaming up with citizen scientists

透過和公民科學家

以及我這樣的演化生物學家合作，

and with evolutionary biologists like myself,

they might become the Darwins of the 21st century,

他們有可能會變成 二十一世紀的達爾文，

studying urban evolution.

研究都市演化。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）